Austin Jackson (CF,RF)

Free Agent

Jackson, who was batting .254 with 18 RBI through 54 games, will not return for the White Sox this season according to GM Rick Hahn. He underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee in June and since then has not made nearly enough progress to inspire a comeback effort this year. (Source: CBS)

Fantasy Impact: In the rare event you were holding out hope, now is the time to cut ties with Jackson as he will begin to focus solely on rehab until the 2016-17 season where he will once again be a free agent.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX sports recently said that the White Sox are currently "checking into possible trades" for the center fielder. (Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Jackson, who has been out with a torn meniscus for the past five weeks, was batting only .254 in 204 plate appearances so far this season. If he ends up being moved to a team with more offensive prowess, be on the lookout for the potential turn-around that a new team and culture can sometimes inspire in players.

The White Sox jumped out to a 5-3 lead, but let that escape and lost 10-5 to the Nationals. Austin Jackson was given the opportunity to hit in the two-hole and had a decent game. He went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson has been on a tear lately. Over his last 15 games, he is slashing .346/.390/.442. He has scored seven runs and driven in six during that same span. His average is now up to .266. Jackson has limited value in yearly leagues, but if he continues to hit second for the White Sox he will be a great DFS asset.

Austin Jackson had his turf toe injury flare up over the weekend, and he's been sidelined since. He's considered day-to-day.

Fantasy Impact: The team would do well to give Jackson enough time to fully recover, and it's not clear if this will ultimately result in time on the disabled list. He's been off to a slow start this season, known more for his defense of late than his bat. He's posted an OPS of only .668 in 51 games.

The White Sox held off the Royals 3-2 on Sunday. Austin Jackson helped his stat sheet as he went 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson has little fantasy value as he hits ninth in the lineup. He is only hitting .222 on the year. If you are desperate for runs, he does have 18 on the year, but as of now Jackson is nothing more than a DFS flyer. Jackson and the White Sox have a double-header against the Indians on Monday.

In a game where every White Sox hitter recorded a hit, Austin Jackson was able to generate three of them. Jackson went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. He hit his fourth double on the year.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson is not fantasy relevant in yearly at this point. He is very inconsistent and barely hitting over .200. He can help in DFS as a punt play, but even then there are probably more valuable options. At this point, Jackson is more valuable to the White Sox than the fantasy world.

The White Sox lost 3-2 to the Angels on Thursday. Austin Jackson made contact in every one of his at-bats, but went 0-for-4 on the day. He was the last out in the ninth inning with two runners on base. His fly out reached the warning track, but did not have enough distance to give the White Sox the win.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson is not fantasy relevant. He hits toward the bottom of the order and is only hitting .170. The only benefit he brings to the table is his ability to add runs or RBI to category leagues. However, he is too inconsistent at getting on base. Look elsewhere at the OF position since too many better options exist.

The White Sox lost a close matchup against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Austin Jackson was slotted into the two-hole. He went 1-for-4 with a RBI.

Fantasy Impact: Austin Jackson is still not fantasy relevant. He had some solid DFS value on Sunday since he was in the second spot in the lineup. Jackson is only hitting .200 on the year. His only upside has been four runs and four RBI. Unless Jackson finds himself consistently hitting at the top of the lineup, his fantasy value is limited to deep, AL-only leagues.

Austin Jackson continues to succeed at the bottom of the White Sox order. On Wednesday, Jackson hit a double in the third inning, which led to the White Sox only run. Jackson finished 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson has successfully reached base in his last three games. He is starting to prove his worth as a guy to help in categories leagues. With a .300 average and a .364 OBP, Jackson is deployable in deeper leagues and a solid low-cost option in DFS.

Austin Jackson hit at the bottom of the order once again. Again, he was fairly productive and helped the team beat the Athletics. Austin hit a RBI single in the top of the sixth and finished 1-for-4 on the day.

Fantasy Impact: Austin Jackson is not a guy worth adding at this point. However, if he continues to get on base he will see decent run production. Two games into the season, Jackson is currently hitting .286 with a .661 OPS. Look to use him as a flyer in DFS and consider keeping an eye on him in yearly.

The White Sox and the Athletics combined for seven runs on Opening Day, and all of those runs came in the third inning. The White Sox found themselves on top 4-3 when all said and done. Austin Jackson hit last in the order, but played an important role in Monday's win. Jackson went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.

Fantasy Impact: This addition is looking good from a baseball perspective for the White Sox. Jackson is a .273 career hitter and can steal double-digit bases. The White Sox have some guys who can make contact with the ball and get on base. Although Jackson is at the bottom of the lineup, he could see some decent run potential hitting in front of the White Sox' top hitters. Jackson has little fantasy value at this point, but could be a guy to keep an eye on. He makes for an interesting, low-cost option in DFS too.

The White Sox put up five runs on Thursday, but lost 6-5 to the Angels. Austin Jackson hit leadoff and went 1-for-4 with a double and a RBI.

Fantasy Impact: With the departure of Adam LaRoche, Jackson should see more plate appearances this year. He is .273 career average hitter who can give you 10 HR and 15 stolen bases throughout the year. He is not worth a draft pick in fantasy at this point, but could be a minimum-priced option in DFS throughout the year.

The White Sox agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with FA OF Austin Jackson. (Source: ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: It's TBD how the White Sox OF rotation will shake out, but the immediate assumption is that Jackson will see a majority of his time in CF. Of the previous projected starting outfielders, Adam Eaton, Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia, Garcia would appear to be the one on the outside looking in following Jackson's signing. Chicago says it still believes in Garcia, though how playing time is distributed will tell the real story.

The Cubs improved to 94-65 on the season with a 5-3 win over the Reds on Thursday. Austin Jackson provided the big blow with a three-run home run in the third inning. The home run was Jackson's ninth of the season and he's now batting .267.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson's home run was his first since coming over to the Cubs. His overall numbers are down from his career averages, but Jackson should be a decent contributor moving forward in the playoffs and next season.

The Cubs have acquired outfielder Austin Jackson and cash from the Mariners for Chicago's last international bonus pool slot and a player to be named later. Jackson was hitting .272 with eight home runs, 38 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 107 games with Seattle this season. (Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Cubs got Jackson for outfield depth as they wait for Jorge Soler to return from an oblique injury. Jackson figures to rotate manning right field with Chris Denorfia until Soler's return. He will also spell Dexter Fowler a bit in center. Not much fantasy value in A-Jax with the Cubs due to the inconsistent playing time for the rest of the season.

Jackson put together a nice two hit game, adding a walk, two runs, and a RBI in the Mariners' 8-6 victory over the White Sox on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: While his career has taken a massive downturn since coming to Seattle, Jackson's average is creeping up to decency at .259. A strong defensive CF with some upside, Jackson will likely get more chances, but if he is to have fantasy value it will likely have to be somewhere other than Seattle next year.

Austin Jackson was not in the starting lineup Sunday, ceding his usual position in the starting lineup to prospect Ketel Marte, but entering the game late as a defensive substitute. (Source: Mariners.com)

Fantasy Impact: The 28-year-old CF should be in his prime, but has had an absolutely miserable time hitting since his trade to Seattle. While being a favorite of his longtime manager Lloyd McClendon has helped Jackson maintain a spot at the top of the Mariners lineup for much of the season, his subpar 82 wRC+ has helped the Mariners underachieve this season. With Jackson becoming a free agent this offseason, it seems likely that his role will continue to decline.

Austin Jackson went 2-for-4 with two singles, a run scored, and two stolen bases on Monday against the Tigers.

Fantasy Impact: A-Jax hasn't had a remarkable season, but the two stolen bags did move him up to 10 thus far, and with a serviceable average (.256), and a few homers (4) he's on his way to a potential .260-10-20 season, which is about what fantasy owners should have expected or hoped for.

Austin Jackson went 1-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts, and a grand slam HR against the Tigers on Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact: It was only the fourth home run of the season thus far for Jackson, but he made it a good one, giving the Mariners a big morale boost that helped them eventually win the game in extras. Jackson will try to use this momentum to repeat his successful June (.304 avg), as he's struggled thus far in July (.160 avg).

Austin Jackson went 2-for-4 with two singles and a strikeout against the Angels on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: This was the eighth multi-hit game of the month for A-Jax, as he's batting .295 in June, raising his overall average from .236 to .261. The downside to Jackson is his lack of counting stats, but that should be corrected if he's healthy for the second half of the season. Keep him active in all but the most shallow of mixed leagues.

Austin Jackson went 4-for-4 with two singles, two doubles, and a walk against the Yankees on Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson also had a RBI and a run scored in the game, looking as good as he has all season. He's hard to trust, as his average was .244 before Tuesday's effort, but Jackson is worthy of a roster spot in AL-Only formats, even though his counting stats will likely continue to be low.

The Seattle Mariners activated CF Austin Jackson from the DL following Monday's 4-1 victory of Tampa Bay. RP Danny Farquhar was sent to Triple-A Tacoma to clear a spot for Jackson. (Source: Evan Petzold on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: While the move surely solidifies the Mariners' lineup, it barely moves the needle from a fantasy perspective. Jackson had mustered only two home runs and four RBI before hitting the disabled list, but he did manage to steal five bases in only twenty-five games. Look for players like Dustin Ackley, Justin Ruggiano, and Seth Smith to see even less playing time with Jackson and Nelson Cruz in the OF on a daily basis.

Seattle Mariners center fielder Austin Jackson was placed on the 15-day disabled list after rolling his ankle during Sunday's loss to the Houston Astros, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. (Source: Greg Johns on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Jackson was already a pretty fringy fantasy player anyway, so this injury should probably cause him to be dropped in just about every league. Justin Ruggiano will likely get the majority of starts in center field with Jackson out, but is not a great fantasy play due to his inability to hit right-handed pitching.

Seattle Mariners center fielder Austin Jackson went 1-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson showed what he can do if he gets on base, as he can grab a few steals and should have an opportunity to score a lot of runs. Unfortunatley, he's had a tough time doing so during his tenure in Seattle and his inability to hit for power limits his fantasy value. Only owners in deep leagues who really need help in the outfield should take a look.

Austin Jackson was the lone bright spot Wednesday for the Mariners, who managed just three hits on the night. Jackson had two of those hits and he also added a walk to his stat line.

Fantasy Impact: Jackson is batting a healthy .313 average this season over his first four games. Last year Jackson struggled down the stretch for the Mariners, but has look good to start the year. He should have plenty of scoring opportunities at the top of the revamped Mariners lineup, as long as he can continue to get on base consistently.

Both Austin Jackson and manager Lloyd McClendon (Jackson's hitting coach in Detroit previously) know the center fielder has more to offer than what was shown following a trade deadline deal. (Source: MLB.com)

Fantasy Impact: Fantasy owners who projected Jackson, age 27 last season, to take a step towards a possible 20 HR/20 SB season last year, were disappointed by Jackson's efforts. The center fielder reached the 20 stolen base mark, but with only 4 home runs and a .256 batting average. Perhaps expecting further growth in the power department was an incorrect assumption considering Jackson has always shown league average power (career .128 ISO). Jackson's speed is legitimate however. While the Mariners as a team do not run wild, McClendon has shown he will allow his top of the order guys to run freely. James Jones swiped 27 bases last season and following the trade to Seattle, Jackson stole 11 bags in 54 games with two caught stealing. While the power might not reach 2012 levels, when Jackson hit 16 home runs, Jackson will provide plenty of value in both the stolen base and runs scored categories. With the Mariners continuing to add offensive weapons in the heart of the order, a return to 100 runs scored is not out of the question. Jackson should also be a slight asset in batting average, hitting somewhere in the neighborhood of .270, which in this day and age of baseball is a positive. Fantasy owners may be scared off by Jackson's disappointing 2014 season which will create an opportunity to invest. As a fourth or fifth outfielder in mixed leagues, Jackson appears to represent a value.